On the 5th Aug 2017 Melissa and Rebecca Foulis are holding a charity event in memory of their sister Alexandra, who lost her heartbreaking battle against brain cancer in 2011, aged 24.

The 2nd Aug marks what should have been Alexandra’s 30th Birthday, in order to raise awareness of this terrible disease and funds to help ongoing research the sisters have organised this charity evening, held at The Viper Rooms in Harrogate. Brain cancer devastates families across the world, but its charity events like these that help unite people being affected and share the hope of future advancements.

All proceeds from this evening will go to Brain Tumour Research. Ticket prices are £15 which includes a drink on arrival, hog roast and banquet and Club Entry to Viper Rooms. There will also have a raffle with some amazing raffle prizes and an auction!

Rebecca Foulis was good enough to talk to us about her families experience and why it’s so important to keep fighting:

“Alexandra’s Angels is an umbrella group for Brain Tumour Research. Alexandra’s Angels was set up after our beautiful sister, Alexandra was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Ally was first diagnosed in October 2009 after having some facial weakness in the right hand side of her face, at first the Doctors thought it was Bell’s Palsy, but after a couple months, the facial weakness had worsened so we went back to the Doctors and was sent for a scan which showed that she had a tumour on her brain stem. Ally was 22 years old. Ally had surgery at the Leeds General Infirmary in December 2009 where 30% of the tumour was removed. The biopsy was diagnosed as a malignant brain tumour, an astrocytoma grade 3. Ally then underwent 6 weeks of radiotherapy and had chemotherapy treatment for 9 months and in October 2010 an MRI scan showed the tumour had shrunk and only scar tissue remained. The treatment had worked.

Ally went to see her consultant after 3 months and everything was still going well until March 2011 when Ally was experiencing severe headaches, something which she had never experienced before since being diagnosed, an MRI scan was arranged and it showed Ally’s tumour had returned and it now measured 7cm. The Doctors said surgery was not an option as the tumour was on her brain stem and close to the nerves that control her breathing and heart rate, and advised Ally could go on to have more treatment if she wished. We arranged for Ally to seek a second opinion from a specialist neurosurgeon in London, we wrote down a list of possible treatments that we had been researching to ask the Doctors opinion. The specialist neurosurgeon agreed with consultants in Leeds but suggested Ally went ahead with high dose chemotherapy.

Ally went on to have a few doses of the high dose chemotherapy which had some horrible side effects, lowered her immune system and made her vulnerable to infections. Ally passed away on 19th August 2011 at 3:40am in hospital, aged 24.
She was so brave and courageous and she gave a good fight. We miss her dearly. We want no other family to have to go through what we have been through and continue to go through to this day. We continue to raise money in Ally’s memory. 2nd August 2017 would have been Ally’s 30th Birthday and we are devastated that she is not with us and we can’t celebrate this milestone with her. We felt that we would like to mark this occasion and have arranged a Charity Event to raise money for Brain Tumour Research and to remember Ally on what would have been her 30th Birthday.

Please contact Rebecca on Rebecca.foulis@northyorks.gov.uk or Melissa on Melissa_foulis@hotmail.com for further details on to purchase tickets for the event or raffle tickets. Alexandra’s Angels is an umbrella group for Brain Tumour Research and all money raised on the night will go to towards ‘Funding the Fight’.”

Please come to show your support on Saturday 5th August, all proceeds from this evening will go to Brain Tumour Research!!